Father's Day
by Sarritichi
Summary: On a day in April, someone realises too late that you can't blame someone for something they had no choice in.


**Disclaimer:** Fruits Basket is the property of Natsuki Takaya.

**Warnings:** Kyou-related spoilers. What could be viewed as an alternate ending. Angst. Whee.

**Notes:** This fic depicts events that may not happen in the manga timeline, and therefore could be an AU. (Proper AN at end.)

**Father's Day**

He had seen the child for a moment in the family hospital and had marvelled at the fragile beauty of a newborn child. But too soon after, he discovered that his son was one of the cursed members of the Sohma family, the thirteenth Jyuunishi. The cursed cat, the monster of the Sohmas.

That… _thing_ was no child of his.

He tolerated it to stay by his wife – even then, keeping a distance – until that disastrous New Year's party and the events that lead on from it. After his wife's death, there was no reason to see _it_ again.

It was April and the cherry trees were in full bloom. He heard whispers that two of the Jyuunishi and a girl – all of which lived with that novelist – had graduated from high school. He neither knew or cared of the apparent significance. The rumours that flittered along the corridors of the main house began to have a darker note. The clan head was going to do something. The clan head was not renowned for his kindness – in fact, quite the opposite – but he didn't care since it rarely, if ever, had anything to do with him.

Thinking of graduation made him wonder how old… _it _was now. He still had a mental image of a young boy with eyes the colour of blood and fiery red hair.

He had no desire to see _it _again.

There was a commotion by the main entrance to the house. He stood a way back to watch. The gathering had a feel like that of a funeral, deathly quiet and still. A girl in her late teens clutched at a cat backpack and cried quietly. The others showed less emotion, but their eyes told volumes, solemn and sorrowful. He absently wondered who had died. At a second glance he realised who they were. The doctor, that silly tailor, the usually cheerfully feminine boy, the girl who didn't talk. They were the Jyuunishi. One of them, however, a serious looking man, wasn't one of the Zodiac. He wondered who this man was, and why he looked so dismayed and despairing.

The door opened, and that novelist walked through, leading a teenager beside him. Two others, around the same age as the teenage, followed behind the pair. The one, a girl not known to him, was sniffling sadly, but trying to look brave. The other, a boy, did look vaguely familiar and he recognised him as the one they said was the clan head's 'favourite'. He pitied the boy. His purple eyes shone with regret and apology. The older man looked tired and haggard, full of guilt for not doing enough. The final boy looked pale beneath his tan and thin, but stood tall, resigned to accept his fate.

The clan head had appeared, and gestured to the teenager, who nodded, and began to say awkward farewells. 

He felt sorry for this boy, who looked both strangely familiar and similar to him. He wondered what was happening. It looked as if the boy was being sent away. He didn't think anything the young man could have done anything that would be bad enough to have this fate presented to him.

Eventually, the boy turned to his older escort and asked in a whisper who he, the watcher, was. The man turned in the direction he had pointed and looked thoughtful. _That,_ he said, _is your father._

A jolt ran through him and things made sense. This boy, this teenager who had appeared to have done nothing wrong, was that child. The physical similarities to both him and his deceased wife. Today was the day the cat was to be locked up. After it had graduated from high school. as was the tradition, and as it would most likely continue to be. This boy, this harmless, sad looking thing, was what he had feared and hated and despised for so many years.

As orderlies began to lead the boy away, he wondered about all he missed.

He realised he had never even known his only child, never given him a chance. He realised it wasn't the boy's fault. He realised he couldn't be blamed for being the cat. He realised his son could not really be blamed for matters he never even had a say in, or a chance to change.

He realised it all too late, as the cat of the Jyuunishi was led to his cage.  
  


~owari

Notes: I should stop writing Kyou related things.

I pieced this together from what I know of Kyou's background, but I'm sorry if some things are unsure. There aren't many things about Kyou's father, and his view on things, so here's my contribution.

The significance of April is just around then is when the new school year starts in Japan, so the three of them would have graduated.

Kyou's father (the narrator) referring to Kyou as _it _came from one of the chapters in Volume 9, where Kazuma speaks to him about Kyou. None of the Jyuunishi are referred to by name, simply because he wouldn't know. Spot the Kazuma.

I should be working on Mad Season, but I'm not, and this is fairly pointless.


End file.
